The latest aerial photo taken of the Pāpāmoa East Interchange. Photo / Tauranga City Council
After four years of construction, the $90 million Pāpāmoa East Interchange is set to open soon, with travellers eagerly anticipating shortened commutes.
Less eagerly anticipated is the prospect of a new tolling point, as proposed but not yet confirmed by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA).
Traffic management on the Tauranga Eastern Link/State Highway 2 (TEL) has been lifted, with the interchange set to be blessed on Monday and fully opened by Easter, Tauranga City Council says.
Golden Sands School teacher Liana Rosie said it would be “wonderful” to have it open. The Pukehina resident expected to save 15 minutes each way on her work commute.
The shorter journey was “very timely” given rising petrol prices. She was also impressed by how quickly the work was completed.
Her colleague Melissa Burgess expected a similar saving off her 40-minute drives to and from Lake Rotoiti.
Suzanne Aubert Catholic School office administrator Maria Mooney said the interchange would cut time off her Mount Maunganui commute.
She also hoped it would attract more people to new shopping area, The Sands.
“I think it’s great.”
Construction of the interchange started in July 2022. It includes an overbridge across the TEL, on- and off-ramps, and connections to The Sands Avenue and Te Okuroa Drive.
The eastbound off-ramp opened early, in August.
NZTA funded 51% of interchange costs, while the council said the majority of its share was funded via development contributions.
The council received a 10-year, interest-free loan for the project via the Housing Infrastructure Fund.
The council said Pāpāmoa’s population was expected to grow significantly, hitting about 40,000 by 2043.
The interchange would support this growth, as well as enabling faster travel between neighbourhoods and a more direct connection to the Rangiuru Business Park.
Pāpāmoa Residents and Ratepayers Association chairman Philip Brown said residents would watch with curiosity to see if the traffic patterns changed and if peak-hour traffic reduced on Pāpāmoa Beach Rd and Te Okuroa Drive.
He said a major concern was whether there would be a toll for driving on the TEL between Domain Rd and the new interchange.
Last year, NZTA consulted on adding a new toll point to this stretch.
The TEL is already tolled between Domain Rd and the Paengaroa roundabout.
NZTA’s proposed changes included new but reduced tolls for motorists not travelling the full length, and a 12-month toll-free period for Pāpāmoa East Interchange users.
Since the $455m TEL opened in 2015, about $79m in toll revenue has been collected, with $53m going towards the debt and interest, and the rest to operational costs, according to NZTA data to mid-2025.
Pāpāmoa ward councillor Steve Morris said residents had shared their concerns about tolling as they felt they were already paying for the interchange through rates and fuel taxes.
As well, other recent major highway projects around the country had not been tolled.
“My concern has always been that, in addition to double paying, tolling could push traffic back on to local roads and undermine some of the interchange’s benefit.”
He said he pushed to bring forward construction of both Te Okuroa Drive and the interchange, and it was satisfying to finally see “those connections come together”.
He said the next piece needed was a Kaituna Link, a bridge across the Kaituna River connecting to the Rangiuru Interchange, so Pāpāmoa would not be swamped with future Te Tumu traffic.
NZTA regional system design manager Susan Collins said consultation on the tolling proposal closed in August and the agency would announce the outcome shortly.
She said tolling had been used in Tauranga to bring forward the construction of new roads, supporting accelerated growth and economic productivity, with the Tauranga Eastern Link and State Highway 29 Takitimu Drive. Free alternative routes were available.
Government policy meant NZTA was expected to consider tolling to support the construction and maintenance of all new roads.
Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford said the full opening of the interchange would be " a genuine game-changer for Pāpāmoa East, our largest and fastest-growing suburb".
It would unlock better access for the developing The Sands Town Centre and the major residential growth planned for Wairākei and Te Tumu, as well as freeing up local roads and better connecting neighbourhoods.
Council senior project manager Nic Barnett said challenges the project had to overcome included poor ground conditions in some sections, and the logistics of working next to and above a live highway.
Barnett said several final inspections and completion checks would be done before the official opening to ensure the interchange was operating safely.
A formal safety audit was planned for about two weeks after it opened.
Barnett said once the interchange opened, users of the Tauranga Eastern Link would need to be aware of the ramps and potential merging traffic.
The council expected Te Okuroa Drive/Tara Rd, Parton Rd and potentially the Domain Rd interchange to be less busy in peak times as some motorists used the new route.
Pāpāmoa East residents and workers would experience an “immediate time travel benefit”, especially those no longer needing to backtrack to Domain Rd to drive east.
The joint project was between the council, NZTA, HEB Construction and local iwi: Tapuika, Waitaha, Ngā Pōtiki and Ngāti Whakaue ki Maketū.
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Ayla Yeoman is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based in Tauranga. She holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in communications, politics and international relations from the University of Auckland, and has been a journalist since 2022.